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I continue to be mystified by the Skripal affair, but of course we have very little info to go on.

One fact though, as pointed out by someone on Twitter, is that only one daily had Sergei Skripal's recovery on its front page today - the Groan.

[Another mystery is why my autocorrect changes Skripal to Scribal!]

Having found out Skripal is a guinea pig lover, I find myself rooting for him even more. I would particularly like it if it turned out to be the case that he was poisoned to try to shut him up but thanks to the unrivalled care of our world class NHS he lives to tell his tale to the world.

...Nevertheless, London found itself on the defensive this week -- initially because of an interview, then because of a tweet and finally because of Boris Johnson, Britain's perpetually impetuous foreign secretary.

I continue to be mystified by the Skripal affair, but of course we have very little info to go on.

One fact though, as pointed out by someone on Twitter, is that only one daily had Sergei Skripal's recovery on its front page today - the Groan.

[Another mystery is why my autocorrect changes Skripal to Scribal!]

Having found out Skripal is a guinea pig lover, I find myself rooting for him even more. I would particularly like it if it turned out to be the case that he was poisoned to try to shut him up but thanks to the unrivalled care of our world class NHS he lives to tell his tale to the world.

Most of it already in the public domain, we all knew about the Kivelidi murder but whether the poison used was made in the Shikhany lab is not 100% clear . Same formula, but what provenance . So much for footprints .

I continue to be mystified by the Skripal affair, but of course we have very little info to go on.

One fact though, as pointed out by someone on Twitter, is that only one daily had Sergei Skripal's recovery on its front page today - the Groan.

[Another mystery is why my autocorrect changes Skripal to Scribal!]

Having found out Skripal is a guinea pig lover, I find myself rooting for him even more. I would particularly like it if it turned out to be the case that he was poisoned to try to shut him up but thanks to the unrivalled care of our world class NHS he lives to tell his tale to the world.

I too am fond of guinea pigs.

Sadly our last one died around Christmas so currently we have none

Ours have had some extra cuddles the last couple of days! Poor cat too. Protocol, I guess, given the police officer who fell ill, to seal the house, but very sad.

New Forest DC - Tory hold an ultra-safe ward with over three quarters of the vote, par for the course for them here as two Tory councillors have been returned with massive ease in all elections from 2003 onwards. The only minor difference is that then and in 2007 the only opposition came from the LibDems and in subsequent elections (including a previous 2012 vacancy) it was from Labour - this time round there was at least more choice with both parties opposing the blue team, and it was the LibDems who came out on top after a decade long absence here with close to 15% whereas Labour support was roughly halved on last time.

Fylde DC - Tory hold with approaching 60% of the vote in a ward which has returned 3 Tory councillors in every election since 2003 but (unlike the previous contest) not always overwhelmingly so - LibDems were competitive in the pre-coalition years and an Independent ran the Tories quite close in an earlier 2012 byelection, before a single Labour candidate gave quite a good account of themselves last time in 2015. On the face of it there was a double figure swing since then, but as in some previous byelections 3 candidates of one party only being opposed by single candidates of others can exaggerate the "real" movement somewhat. Still, the Tories will be content enough whilst Labour will still be happy to have held second place as the LibDems were also clearly down. Greens intervened and scored a respectable 12%, just behind in 4th.

Taunton Deane DC - what may be the last electoral contest for this authority in its present form (as a merger with next door West Somerset DC looks likely to go ahead before next year's scheduled elections) had a notable result, as the Greens came from 4th and last place in 2015 to gain this ward from Independents (who did not stand this time) In every election since at least 1999 two Indies had been returned here, though in some contests (including the most recent one) the Tories came quite close to winning a seat. This time round, however, the Greens stormed to victory with almost 45% of the vote - something of a fourfold increase on three years ago. LibDems also did well, more than doubling their score to 29%, whilst the third (and last) placed Tories actually fell back.

Highland - LibDem gain from SNP in a division where (as elsewhere in these parts) Independents have traditionally been very strong - indeed in 2007 and 2012 three Independents monopolised the seats, though the SNP challenged their dominance in the latter election and were also the main rivals to the Indies in a previous 2014 byelection, before the SNP (in the form of a previous Ind councillor from the pre-STV days) before the Nats finally broke through and took a seat last year, 2Ind/1Nat now being the split. This time round, though, even a small SNP increase from that successful election was not enough, the surprise being that the beneficiaries was not any of the 3 Independents standing this time, but the LibDems who went from 4th last time to top now, rocketing by over 20 points to 31% of first preferences. The best placed Indy came third now, then the Tories on nearly 9% - little changed from previously - and then the two other Independents sharing some 11% between them fairly evenly.

It has to be said that Adonis can be very smart at times but others is a complete and utter wally.

Quote:

Andrew Adonis‏Verified account

@Andrew_AdonisFollow Follow @Andrew_AdonisMoreI'm on Sky News at 10am tomorrow, where I will set out proposals to transfer significant funding from BBC to Channel 4 News & Sky to restore public service broadcasting now the BBC is #BrexitBroadcastingCorporation

It has to be said that Adonis can be very smart at times but others is a complete and utter wally.

Quote:

Andrew Adonis‏Verified account

@Andrew_AdonisFollow Follow @Andrew_AdonisMoreI'm on Sky News at 10am tomorrow, where I will set out proposals to transfer significant funding from BBC to Channel 4 News & Sky to restore public service broadcasting now the BBC is #BrexitBroadcastingCorporation

Of course this proposal is silly, but the fact the BBC is now losing the support of centrists as well as left wingers is potentially very significant.

Campaigners have called for kinship carers to receive the same rights and allowances as foster carers and adoptive parents, including paid employment leave while the child is settling in. They also want kinship carers to be exempt from the benefit cap, the bedroom tax and the two-child benefits limit.

I would have at least thought the EXCITING NEW RADICAL MOULD-BREAKING CENTRIST PARTY the Absurder are wetting their pants about might have elicited some comment

I wonder how the Labour centrists will react to them proposing mandatory reselection for all candidates? This is one of the things they've been screaming about over Momentum (deselection mania).

They certainly aren't offering a new home to any Labour supporters disappointed with Corbyn's lack of opposition to Brexit, that's for sure:

Quote:

Potential policy proposals include asking the rich to pay a fairer share of tax, better funding for the NHS and improved social mobility. However, it also backs centre-right ideas on wealth creation and entrepreneurship, and is keen to explore tighter immigration controls. A source said some Brexit supporters are involved.

So pro-Brexit and anti free movement of people - this doesn't feel like an alternative Labour party, trying to exploit pro-EU voter's doubts about a Eurosceptic Corbyn, this feels more like an alternative Tory party. In fact, looking at the above description, it virtually is the Tory party, back when the right wing realised attacking the NHS cost it votes.

Which does raise the question still more of why the Observer felt the need for such an uncritical, even hagiographic, puff piece about it.

Last night they also had a piece on the polling by that new company. I'm sure we're all shocked that after two weeks of nothing but "Labour is full of anti-Semites", the public think Labour has an anti-Semitism problem.

Just had a look at the Renew Britain website, out of curiosity. As opposed to the new millionaire party, it looks reasonably attractive in theory. Yet the Greens are roughly in the same ballpark on many issues - on Brexit, equality and the environment - and well ahead in organisation and brand recognition (obviously). In a FPTP system, such subtle differentiations seem pretty futile and pointless, even when they originate in genuine desire for change.

In a two party system when a voter feels comfortable that their interests will be looked after regardless of which main party wins there is space for other parties, but in a world where the main parties are polarised and voters have strong feelings about who they don't want to see in power, those other parties are inevitably squeezed and that seems very much to be the case at the moment. As such, it seems difficult to see what these new parties could hope to achieve. Replace the mortally wounded Libdems?

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